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How to Play a Game of 21

Andrew “Andy” Jordan is the principal of Donovan High School in Donovan, Illinois, a role that involves oversight of 175 students, as well as the school’s faculty and staff. He previously served as the principal of West Carroll Primary School in Savanna. When he is not working to improve the school’s test scores and overall academic performance, Andrew Jordan spends time pursuing a doctoral degree in education and staying active through golf and basketball.

Recreational basketball players who lack the numbers needed for a proper game can still enjoy a full-body workout through a basketball-related game like 21. In a sense, games of 21 are played as traditional half-court basketball games. The key exception is that players are competing as individuals, rather than as members of a team.

To start the game or reset play, an individual takes a shot from distance, usually around or beyond the three-point line. The shot must contact the rim but not pass through the basket. At this point, players on the court can fight for the rebound and go about scoring as normal. Baskets made from the field count as one point, while shots made from beyond the arc are worth two points.

Following a make, the shooter steps up to the free line and is given up to three free throws, assuming he or she makes each attempt. Each made free throw counts as one point. A player who makes all three baskets not only finishes the play with up to five points, but also starts the next play with the ball at the top of the key.

As one might assume, players win the game by scoring 21 points. However, they must score exactly 21 points. For example, if a player with 20 points makes a three-point shot attempt (earning two points), they reach 22 points and are penalized by dropping back down to 11 points.

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Developing a Social Media Marketing Strategy

Andrew Jordan, a bachelor of art graduate from Northern Illinois University, is a principal at Donovan High School in Donovan, Illinois. Outside of his work as principal, Andrew Jordan likes to read books on social media and business to learn different aspects, such as creating a social media marketing strategy.

The initial step in creating a social media marketing strategy involves setting social media goals that align with a business’ objectives. Common social media goals include increasing brand awareness, generating leads and sales, and boosting community engagement. Social media metrics such as likes, reach, impressions, and conversion rate give insight into a business’ performance.

The next move involves identifying the target audience, the most relevant social media channels, and the best content formats. Businesses will benefit from researching what works best instead of putting resources and effort on several platforms and targeting broad audiences. Additionally, a competitor analysis helps understand the industry expectations and aids in spotting opportunities.

After gathering the right information, a company is ready to set up a social media profile. Businesses can also invest in social management tools for publishing, analysis, and reporting.

What Is Freemasonry?

Andrew Jordan is the principal of Donovan High School in Illinois, where he is looking to improve test scores for 175 6th-12th grade students under his management. Outside of his work in education, Andrew Jordan is involved with his local Freemason society.

Freemasonry is often misconstrued as a variety of things that it is not, such as being a religious order or being related to the Illuminati. In reality, the Freemasons are an exclusive club that is secular in nature and has no imperative to be fully confidential.

Although it is a secret society, individual members can choose to be public with their involvement if they so choose. The late Prince Phillip, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, musician Rick Wakeman, and more are examples of public celebrity masons about their affiliation.

The point of Freemasonry is to mimic the medieval stonemasons from which it takes its name. The stonemasons of the medieval era protected their knowledge of their crafts by encoding it in a series of runes and symbols that only other masons understood, thus protecting their trade skills from outsiders. Modern masons are much the same, promising to help each other as a social network and partaking in ceremonies that both forge a social bond and create a moral framework for individual members to live by.

The Three Tiers of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

As the principal of West Carroll Primary School in Savanna, Illinois, Andrew Jordan directed daily operations of a preschool to fourth grade elementary school with more than 450 students. In addition to helping improve test scores by 20 percent, Principal Andre Jordan introduced strategies such as positive behavioral interventions and supports at the school.

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a three-tier, evidence-based framework to help improve student outcomes.

Tier 1: The school provides universal, proactive support to all students. At this tier, teachers clearly communicate expectations, teach appropriate behaviors, and intervene before unwanted behaviors escalate.

Tier 2: This tier provides targeted support for at-risk students, including group interventions and specific guidance in social skills, self-management, and academic assistance. These interventions have been shown to have positive impacts for 67 percent of referred students.

Tier 3: Students receive intensive, individualized support to help improve academic and behavioral outcomes. These strategies are highly effective with students who have developmental disabilities, autism, and other diagnoses.

Tips on How to Improve Student Test Scores

An accomplished Illinois administrator, educator, and principal, Andrew Jordan has close to a decade of experience in the field of education working in various institutions. Among Andrew Jordan’s key career roles was a principal at West Carroll Primary School in Savanna, Illinois where he was in charge of all school operations and successfully increased test scores by 20 percent.

With Common Core State Standards being implemented across the US, most teachers and school administrators are focused on improving student test scores. Even though schools need to work collectively and raise their test scores, below are techniques teachers can use to help students improve their test scores.

1. Teaching students test-taking strategies is a key step that can lead to good results, especially for lower-performing students. Some of the strategies include arriving at an answer by eliminating the answers which are wrong and looking for information in a question that might provide a hint to the answer.

2. Analyze student data to discover areas where students have weaknesses. Teachers can do this by carefully evaluating the practice data to check for weak areas that need attention. Student data analysis can be time-consuming, but there are software applications that can gather all student data in a single online location for analysis.

3. Increase parent involvement by ensuring parent-teacher communication remains consistent throughout the year. Students tend to perform better in school when their parents and guardians are involved. There should be an open-door policy that encourages parents to stay informed about their children’s education. Parents can help in the library, monitor the lunchroom and tutor students.

The Difference Between an Ed.S. and a Ed.D.

Based in Illinois, Andy Jordan is an experienced principal who currently leads a K-12 school. Andy Jordan belongs to the Illinois Principal Association and holds an Ed.S. in educational leadership with a superintendency endorsement.

Educational professionals who already have master’s degrees and are considering their next step in higher education generally consider pursuing either an education specialist degree (Ed.S.) or a doctor of education (Ed.D.). The choice can seem confusing, but the two degrees have slightly different benefits.

The Ed.D. is the education equivalent to a Ph.D.—in fact, some schools are considering eliminating the Ed.D. and only offering a Ph.D. in education. Regardless, this degree is focused on research. Students must write dissertations and contribute new knowledge to the field before achieving this degree.

On the other hand, the Ed.S. is more geared toward individuals looking to develop qualifications for a certain type of job. This degree qualifies individuals for administrative positions, such as superintendent or principal.

Both degrees are advanced graduate degrees, but with different focuses. It is a good idea to determine your career path before pursuing either.